Taunsa Sharif

Taunsa Sharif
Tehsil
Country	Pakistan
Region	Punjab
District	Dera Ghazi Khan District
Capital	Taunsa Sharif
Towns	1
Union councils	13
Time zone	UTC+5 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+6 (PDT)

Taunsa Sharif or Taunsa is a Tehsil (subdivision) of Dera Ghazi Khan District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The town of Taunsa Sharif is the headquarters of the tehsil.

Etymology

It is commonly believed that a Saint of Taunsa had a peacock as a pet; in Arabic peacock is called as Taoos. This word "Taoos" later became Taunsa as a name of this town. It is customary in Pakistan to use the postfix Sharif with the name of any place with some saints buried, hence the city is also called Taunsa Sharif.

Etymology

Taunsa is derived from a Hindi word "tauns" meaning "thirst"; as Taunsa has scarcity of water in the past. postfix "Sharif" was used when Hazrat Khawaja Suleman Taunsvi settled in the town and buried there, so the town is called taunsa Sharif"

Location

Taunsa Sharif is located on the Karachi-Peshawar Highway which is also known as Indus high way, it is approximately 975 km from Karachi and 600 km from Lahore.It is located at 30°41'60N 70°39'0E lying west of the Indus River with an altitude of 157 metres (518).

Taunsa is also the location of one of the notable structures on the Indus River called Taunsa Barrage, located several kilometres south of Taunsa city.

Demography

Taunsa is primarily a town of Saraiki speaking people. However, there are an increasing number of Baluch tribes who have migrated from mountains of Balochistan. They have a significant impact on the economy and society of the town. The Shirani, a collection of Pashtun tribes, migrated from Barkhan Balochistan to Taunsa.Khawaja Shah Suleman came from Darug Balochistan.Bonjore Sandro (talk) 07:08, 1 June 2010 (UTC) Baloch tribes including the Abring, BuzdarSakhani, Malkani, Qaisrani, Lashari, Mirani , Nutkani, Nasuha, Malghani, Khetran, Khosa, Kulachi and Bangolani(Bughlani), DastI, chajra